


Less Than Eleven

by danceswithgary



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, SGA Reverse Bang Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-14 18:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16497821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danceswithgary/pseuds/danceswithgary
Summary: By Rodney's calculations, it had been nearly 10 years since John had last surfed. SGA Reversebang 2018





	Less Than Eleven

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Beach Boys (SGA) - Art](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16482587) by [cybel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cybel/pseuds/cybel). 



Art Preview - check out the entire work at Cybel's post

It took about six snoozes on the alarm Rodney had set, but he finally closed his laptop with a snap and carried it to the safe under the bed. John had been on the beach for almost five hours, and it was past time for Rodney to keep his promise and join him. Stepping down from the perfectly shaded, breeze-filled lanai and into the sun, he immediately began to regret his usual two-shirt attire but, if he took them off, he'd have to apply the sunscreen he'd insisted John take with him, and well, that wouldn't work. With a sigh, he resigned himself to the inevitable sand in his crocs and trudged toward the beach.

 

Rodney had merely rolled over with a groan when John had bounced out of bed that morning, barely registering John's excitement about the sun and surf. He'd managed to remind John about the sunscreen, but then screen door had slammed and there was only the soft swoosh of the overhead fan soothing Rodney back to sleep. 

For about five minutes.

Rodney wanted to sleep in. His brain, however, was not yet convinced that they'd actually managed to take a vacation and was still churning problems they should have left behind. Tossing his pillow to the floor in frustration, Rodney grumbled his way out of bed and through his morning ablutions, pausing intermittently to read an email or write a response on his laptop as he waited for coffee and breakfast to be delivered from the hotel. Directing the steward to set the tray on the table outside, Rodney waved away the offer to tidy the bungalow and immediately lost himself in caffeine and code. 

The coffee was only a memory by the time the sounds and sights around Rodney began to make their way past his concentration. His pauses became more and more frequent, until the alarm and a growling stomach finally won out. After placing their lunch order using the hotel portal and storing his laptop in the floor safe, Rodney was ready to hunt down his errant husband and drag him back for much-needed sustenance. 

The bungalow was shaded and secluded, well back from the beach, so Rodney hadn't realized just how close the surfing area actually was. The foliage and fencing had done a good job of keeping outside noise to a minimum. Squinting against the sun off the waves, he searched for John, frowning when he didn't immediately see him. It was the honking laughter farther up on the sand that finally betrayed John's location. 

John didn't see Rodney arrive, too busy laughing with a group of sun-bronzed young men and women that were standing and sitting in a cluster of towels and surfboards. It wasn't until someone pointed and asked, "That him?" that John turned around.

"Rodney!" John cried and bounded toward Rodney like a sandy puppy, his gray-streaked hair even more ridiculous after hours in salt water. He stopped a few feet away and waited for Rodney to approach, bouncing a little on the sand. "Thought you'd never get here."

Rodney shook his head, waving toward the group that was paying entirely too much attention to them. "Really surprised you missed me."

"Aw, come on. Don't be that way." John reached out and grabbed Rodney's hand to reel in him in for a salty kiss, his grizzled beard adding a bit of spice. More than a little mollified by John's rare public display, Rodney licked his lips and smiled, not resisting when John turned and tugged him toward the group. "Hey, guys," John said. "This is my husband, Dr. Rodney McKay-Sheppard, PhD, PhD."

There was chorus of heys and cools, with one skinny kid in the back piping up, "PhD in what?"

Before Rodney could answer, John jumped in with, "Astrophysics and Mechanical Engineering, with a bunch of other degrees sprinkled in." Slinging his arm around Rodney's shoulders, John declared with pride, "He's the smartest man in two...." John paused before continuing, "Well, the smartest man you'll ever meet."

John's proud declaration left Rodney feeling even warmer than the Hawaiian sun, even considering it had been addressed to an audience that doubtless thought Neil Degrasse Tyson was a real scientist. It wasn't enough to mellow his rebuke when he caught sight of John's shoulders. "Certainly smart enough to know when to get out of the sun, Colonel. Did you even use the sunscreen?"

"Uh, yeah, I did." John winced as he reached up to touch the reddened point of his shoulder. "But I guess I should have put more on."

"First day out, happens all the time," offered one of the group. 

Heads nodded in agreement as another said, "But the, uh, the colonel was really out there. We thought he was here for surf camp, but he showed us some sick moves."

"He did? Hunh." By Rodney's calculations, it had been nearly 10 years since John had last surfed. Considering he'd impressed the kids and that John had been stationed in Antarctica and Afghanistan before Rodney had met him – neither noted for their surf - Rodney was going to be asking for stories John hadn't already shared during their many off-world incarcerations and strandings. 

John chuckled. "They mean old moves." He raised his right hand to the group - pinky, thumb, and index finger extended – and shook it. "Later, dudes."

There was a chorus of byes as they turned and headed for the bungalow, retrieving John's funboard, towel, and neglected jar of Rodney's special sunscreen along the way. As they wended their way up the beach, Rodney could see John's fatigue in his shortening steps and the return of his limp, but he kept quiet, knowing John wouldn't welcome his notice. Thankfully, there weren't any new bruises visible, although a few of John's most recent scars looked a little red. 

Resting his board against the lanai's banister, John rinsed his feet and water shoes off under the outside shower before entering the bungalow. With a soft groan, he stretched and twisted then pointed toward the bathroom. "I'm starved, but I need to shower off all this salt first."

Rodney nodded, glancing at his watch. "Good plan. Lunch will be here in about ten minutes." He groaned a bit as he knelt to retrieve his laptop. "A wall safe would have been a lot more convenient."

"But then I'd miss that view." John's wolf whistle ended in laughter as Rodney scowled at him and got to his feet. Flashing Rodney a grin, John waggled his eyebrows before wiggling out of his incredibly ugly surf shorts, trunks, whatever they were. "Sure you don't wanna wash my back?"

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Not that it isn't tempting, but I'd rather not show off all my particulars to the steward on our first day here."

"Your loss." 

John's little ass wiggle as he disappeared inside the bathroom almost derailed Rodney's resolve, but he really wasn't ready to expose himself as easily as John could. Despite the years as a team under a range of conditions, they'd only been _together_ together for a few months, married for just a week. There'd only been a few furtive moments in the dark over the years, nothing spoken or certain between them. It had changed when they'd returned to Pegasus with John promoted to full colonel and still head of the military. It was as if that final suicide run had opened something in John and he'd asked Rodney for more. 

Rodney hadn't hesitated because he'd wanted more for years. 

Everything had happened at light speed after that.

Seated before his laptop, Rodney smiled as he remembered nights of passion between battles, scrambling to move into new quarters while negotiating with Pegasus coalitions, enduring long days kidnapped, starved, and beaten, followed by an awkward proposal in the infirmary and their marriage with Teyla officiating.

And now, their honeymoon on Earth, both on medical leave deliberately a galaxy away from the constant demands on their time in Pegasus, the demands that had kept them dialed to eleven for years. That pegged dial had them delivered to Hawaii by military transport instead of beaming down to avoid 1) questions of how they got arrived on the island, but also 2) explaining why they were carrying weapons and unconventional electronics as well as golf clubs and a surfboard. They'd both learned the hard way that being on Earth did not equal safety, so neither was willing to give up their preferred forms of protection, storing them in the floor safe with Rodney's laptop.

With a sigh, Rodney canceled their reservations at a luau with a click, closing his laptop when their food arrived. When John emerged from the bathroom wearing one towel and another drying his hair, Rodney was sitting at the small dinette table and munching banana chips while watching a cable DIY channel, criticizing choices and techniques.

After dropping his towels on the floor, John slipped on the clean boxers Rodney had left out, and dropped into the dinette chair with a groan. "I am wiped." Picking up a wedge of his turkey club, he took an enormous bite with an appreciative hum. "God, so good," he mumbled as he chewed, making Rodney smile because he'd known exactly what John was craving. 

"Try the chips," Rodney said, pushing his plate towards John. "The hotel makes them fresh."

John grabbed a few and nodded his approval before returning to his beloved turkey. He quickly polished off three of the wedges before nudging his plate toward Rodney. "Want this? I'm stuffed."

Rodney shook his head as he stood up. "Not used to all this food yet. I think I'll take it slow."

"I'm not sure I remember slow." John shoved his chair back and got to his feet, but only to take the few steps to the unmade bed. He pitched forward onto the pillowtop mattress with a groan. "How long can I have?" he mumbled as he rolled to his side, his eyes already closed. 

"As long as you want," Rodney said as he tugged off his shirts and jeans. "I switched around a few things. I'm still beat from the trip here." Climbing onto the bed, Rodney nudged a pillow under John's head, smiling as John curled closer and wrapped a heavy arm around Rodney's waist. 

"Hmm?" John shivered a little, so Rodney rearranged a bit and pulled the top sheet up, even though it ruined Rodney's view of John's sun-kissed skin. Although it was a little redder than Rodney would like, no immediate first aid was required, although Rodney hadn't missed the spots of rash left behind by John's surfboard. He'd take care of those after John was conscious again.

"I rescheduled the luau." Rodney brushed John's hair back from his forehead just to see John smile at the caress. "We'll just order in tonight. They have a really good room service menu. Maybe some fish, or better, steaks. Baked potatoes that aren't purple."

John chuckled, his breath tickling against Rodney's skin. "There're purple potatoes on Earth."

"So not my point." Rodney's rebuke was soft, not really wanting to argue that point. "I also booked us massages at the spa tomorrow. The helicopter tour can wait a couple of days. I've had enough flying for a while."

"Just p'fer my flyin..." John's voice trailed off and his breathing slowed.

Rodney whispered back, "I do whenever it doesn't involve suicide runs or crashes."

Not even a grumble from that. Rodney lowered the volume on the TV and slid lower in the bed, shifting until he could rest his hand on John's lower back. He slowly kneaded and pressed against the tense muscles he could feel, smiling at John's appreciative groan. It might take a few days, but they'd figure out how to dial it down.

They'd start with a nap.


End file.
